There is a bus tour coming to a town near you. It’s not the magic bus, but in the lyrics to the song “Magic Bus” by The Who, the line most relating to tax reform is “I want it, I want it, I want it…” Americans want tax reform. ASSET members want to make sure that reform includes eliminating the harmful effects of the estate tax. It can only happen if we keep it on the front burner of tax reform, including this latest tour by the two tax reform committees.

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) (Senate Finance Chair) and Representative Dave Camp (R-MI) (Ways & Means Chair) announced their first stop on their Tax Reform Tour 2013 in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Most notable isn’t the visit to a fortune 500 company like 3M, but the visit to a family owned business, Baldinger Bakery.

Baldinger Bakery is a fourth generation, family-run businesses in St. Paul, Minnesota founded in 1888. By providing a superior product and great service, they developed a following for breads, rolls and buns. Today the commercial bakery is in a state-of-the-art facility that can produce about 65,000 buns per hour, and they’ve survived the estate tax, but how many times over do the families have to pay for their same business?

The Senate Finance and House Ways & Means Committee have created a website where you can provide stakeholder input. They want to hear from taxpayers directly about your tax story. What must be considered during comprehensive tax reform? ASSET has continued to fight for fairness to change the estate tax so jobs are preserved and private businesses are no longer at risk.

During comprehensive tax reform over the next 18 months of stakeholder input there will be thousands of lobbyists descending on Capitol Hill to make sure the interests of their clients are considered. You too need to make sure your idea is on the table. As a lawmaker once told me, “if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” Get your ideas on the table, including ASSET.

Americans Standing for the Simplification of the Estate Tax was founded in 2010 in order to change the collection method for the Estate Tax. The group includes private businesses, family farms, and individuals who believe that so long as the IRS reqires the estate tax be paid, there is a simpler collection method that allows the same cash flow to the treasury, yet doesn’t cause jobs losses or the closure of businesses.